[IQuitFFXIVCore]

I was thinking of spending a lot like $3k to build something like a i7 3930k or even extreme edition i7 3970x but was told that gaming now days is all about GPU really so here is what I was suggested by many PC guys but I would like to hear from gamers PC guys here too.
I was suggested as best CPU for gaming would be i5 3570k 3.4ghz and mobo that goes with that a z77 kind and was also told that ram ATM 8gig is more then enough but 16 gig would be ok, and GPU since I have 1920 x 1080 Rez no need for gtx 680 or 7970 but gtx 470 or 7950 would be fine for the Rez of my monitor.

[Ebyl]

Most games continue to rely heavily on the GPU, but there are always some games out there that are more CPU bound. They are definitely the minority, though. That said, having a powerful CPU is never a bad thing.

If you're serious about building a gaming rig, there is really no reason to buy anything other than a quad core. Yes, very few games actually make real use of true multithreading, and fast dual cores are still fine for gaming. But your overall system will be in far better shape with a quad core. They're just superior processors all around.

For gaming, there is no need for an i7. They are not intended for gaming, even though they are popular with the epeen crowd for their higher horsepower and cost. And because of that, they are marketed towards the upper echelon of enthusiast gamers now, too. But the majority of their improvements over i5's are aimed at workstation/professional situations. The i5 3570K is the default choice for a gaming rig.

16 gigs of RAM continues to be relatively cheap. You might as well get it if you're going to be using a 64-bit OS.

Get a good, high quality motherboard with high quality components. Don't skimp. If you're getting a 3570K, it will allow use of PCI 3.0 if your mobo supports it (really not a big deal right now, but nice to have anyway).

Don't skimp on a power supply, either. I'm talking about getting a quality one, not one with 50 bajillion watts of peak output.

I'm not going to get into an amd vs nvidia thing - that's a personal preference. But things like the 670 will smoke all games right now at that resolution, and probably will for some time. The 680 is a sick card, though - tempting. There is nothing wrong with amd's comparable offerings, either, I am just using nvidia as the example.

[IQuitFFXIVCore]

Thanks for replaying also a quick question: I've seen gtx670 or gtx680 at 2 gig dedicated but also at 4 gig dedicated same single card how is that possible and is the 4 gig much better difference in price is very small.

[Ebyl]

Additional RAM can be included in the design of video cards. So as you noticed, you can get the same card with extra RAM added in for some extra cost.

The benefits are essentially 0 at standard gaming resolutions on a single monitor. As you increase resolution beyond 1920x1200, which includes gaming on multiple monitors, the GPU has to deal with huge numbers of pixels in real time. If you're running the highest grade textures at high resolutions (or on multiple monitors), the video card will benefit from extra buffer (video RAM) as it renders them. That buffer is responsible for storing (and keeping at ready access) a lot of things, including the screen image, textures, Z buffer (3D depth coordinates), etc.

In short, 2 GB is more than enough for the vast majority of setups on a single monitor. If you're running 1920x1200 or less on a single monitor, there is no need to ever worry about how much RAM a modern video card (meant for gaming, mind you) comes with. It will have enough without paying extra for the additional RAM.

This post has been edited by Ebyl: 16 January 2013 - 11:46 AM

[IQuitFFXIVCore]

Thanks again, I will post my new rig when I'm done building it. I would say I will be done by the end of January or so.

[Jackel]

Ebyl has given you some solid info.

The only thing I'd add (from personal research) is in regards to the 2 gig vs 4 gig VRAM.

If you play games as they're originally intended to play then you won't need the higher kick. With that said I know the modding community (I'm lookin' at you, Skyrim) has enough extensions to eat up that 2gigs @ x1080. It's not to say it's unplayable or anything of that nature - simply that there are scenarios (albeit rare) that you might encounter in which the extra VRAM might become beneficial.
I use a 2gig 680 and have yet to encounter a situation where I felt I should have gone to the 4gig models. Your mileage might vary.

Aside from that it's solid info. The extra thread on the i7 and cache isn't utilized from a gaming perspective and if you even try to hunt for something like an i7-930 you'll find it listed 20% higher than the more worthwhile i5's.

[Ebyl]

Yeah, good call on that. I guess if you want to get into some of the more graphically intensive games, and then mod them up further, it might be worth your money. For myself, unless I was sure I'd be getting into specific games and modding where that was an identified consideration, I wouldn't worry about it.

[zxcvforz]

I built my Realm Reborn system last week. Originally I was going to wait for Haswell architecture, but then I saw that they may be delayed to June. No way I was going to miss the launch of FFXIV again.

If you're going for i5-3570K, then I'd strongly recommmend overclocking it. With the stock cooler it can easily go to 4.0GHz, and with an aftermarket cooler, you should be able to get it even higher while still maintain stability. If you're not going to overclock, then getting the K series is a waste of money, so is the Z77 chipset.

Unless, of course, you just want the option of being able to overclock it once the warranty expires.

Originally I was going for the i5-3470, but ended up getting the E3-1230v2. Maybe the decision will turn around to bite me since I forgo all those graphics subsystems that come with the i5 but not the E3; however, this system will become my main home server when I get the next gaming system in five years, so I'm covered there. The fact that this chip runs at 32 degrees Celcius with the stock cooler is just a bonus.

Most of the arguments for recommending the E3 for gaming come from the fact that it has a larger cache, plus hyper-threading support. Although I think that's hardly going to make a difference to a game designed for the "normal" gaming systems.

8GB RAM should be enough for any game today, but I got my system to 32GB. The reason is I wanted a RAM disk for my work related software, so I was going for minimum 16GB anyway, and ended up going all the way to the maximum supported of 32GB. FFXIV requires 20GB of disk space for installation. I might try a 24GB RAM disk and run it completely off RAM. For now I'm running a 16GB RAM disk for all system and user temp, internet cache and as a working directory.

If you keep your games open the whole time and run a lot of browser windows along side the game, I would really recommend 16GB. You're building a nice gaming system, so you might as well round out the edges.

Oh and I read yesterday that the GTX 680 is taking a global price cut. You might want to check it out and make sure you get the new price.

[IQuitFFXIVCore]

Gtx 680 price will drop? When is that going to happen and why? Trust me I would love to pay less then $500 for that awsome GPU but is there gtx 7xx on the way or something?

This post has been edited by Kenshin Himura: 17 January 2013 - 06:57 AM

[Jackel]

Kenshin Himura, on 17 January 2013 - 06:57 AM, said:

Gtx 680 price will drop? When is that going to happen and why? Trust me I would love to pay less then $500 for that awsome GPU but is there gtx 7xx on the way or something?

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130768

[IQuitFFXIVCore]

Jackel, on 17 January 2013 - 08:46 AM, said:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130768

I'm thinking to buy the 4GB one for future use I keep my gaming PC for 3 years so might need the 4GB and I heard evga is not that good might go for asus or gigabyte.
http://m.newegg.com/...N82E16814125448
or

http://m.newegg.com/...N82E16814121705
Or if gtx 670 4gb is good to max ffxiv, gw2, skyrim ect might consider it also.

This post has been edited by Kenshin Himura: 17 January 2013 - 09:34 AM

[Jackel]

Kenshin Himura, on 17 January 2013 - 09:27 AM, said:

I'm thinking to buy the 4GB one for future use I keep my gaming PC for 3 years so might need the 4GB and I heard evga is not that good might go for asus or gigabyte.
http://m.newegg.com/...N82E16814125448
or

http://m.newegg.com/...N82E16814121705
Or if gtx 670 4gb is good to max ffxiv, gw2, skyrim ect might consider it also.

My last 3 GPU's were all EVGA and I've had fantastic results. Both 460's and my 680. They also have one of the best warranty policies around.

Not sure on price drops for the 4 gig myself but seeing the 2 gig drop $30 already is a good sign.

[Idlehand]

My advice as always been, buy the best you can for the budget you have now. No matter what you purchase right now it will be old technology the next day. That doesn't mean it is not going to last you 2-3 years or make you have a horrible gaming experience so use that advice and be happy :)

Have Fun :)

[IQuitFFXIVCore]

Jackel, on 17 January 2013 - 09:55 AM, said:

My last 3 GPU's were all EVGA and I've had fantastic results. Both 460's and my 680. They also have one of the best warranty policies around.

Not sure on price drops for the 4 gig myself but seeing the 2 gig drop $30 already is a good sign.

I understand and I know EVGA is a big name I remember it since before I was a PC gamer(became PC gamer when I start playing FFXI 2003) is just the reviews I read many we're saying it heats up and in the picture shoes 1 small fan covering a small part of the hardware vs asus has 2 fans covering the whole thing and gigabyte also is covering the whole card with 3 fans. I'm not the hardcore gamer I was when I played 11 but when I have a day off I do play hardcore meaning 8-12 hours with very small breaks more like 5-10 min afk breaks and I need a super cool card or else it will burn :)

This post has been edited by Kenshin Himura: 17 January 2013 - 10:59 AM

[shojikun]

Get 670/6870/7850 if want to play with "high" setting, not ultra high thou :)

if can't afford nVidia, take AMD, they are really good in terms of what you pay is what you get really.

6870 will run fine if you want to just play with "high" setting.

This post has been edited by shojikun: 21 January 2013 - 10:54 AM

[zxcvforz]

I was hoping my 660 would let me go to High setting. I guess I need to see if anyone posts hardware recommendations from beta. My EVGA extended upgrade will expire mid April, so I still have time to upgrade to a 670.

[IQuitFFXIVCore]

I just payed online for all the parts at microcenter and will drive there tomorrow to pick them up.
CPU: i5-3570K 3.4Ghz will OC at 4.2Ghz
CPU Cooler: Coller Master 212 Evo
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: Corsair Vengence DDR3-1600 8gb (2x4gb)
SSD: Samsung Pro 128GB
Storage: Seagate Baracuda 1TB 7200
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 670
Case: NZXT Crafted Series Phantom 410 Mid Tower ATX Computer Case - Black
PSU: Corsair HX Series HX650 650 Watt ATX 12V Modular Power Supply
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE SATA DVD-RW Burner
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

I will OC CPU and GPU a little, what do you think about my very 1st build is it going to run FFXIV: ARR at highest setting at 1920x1080?

[JCrusnik]

That is a very nice build specially for gaming but if you had 3k for a budget, and going for a z77 motherboard, why not an I7/680 why short yourself on a few more bucks for GPU/CPU, not saying you need an i7/680 but you already got the highest end mobo why skimp out on your GPU/CPU.

Just curios is all it doesn't make you bad to get the top end, don't get me wrong i am not against no one here but think about it leaves you room to say damn, i should have gotten the top when i was buying my parts.

http://www.anandtech...duct/701?vs=551
http://www.anandtech...duct/598?vs=555

take a look at this 2 results this is just some simple tests.

This post has been edited by JCrusnik: 27 February 2013 - 08:55 PM

[IQuitFFXIVCore]

I was a complete noob when I wrote this thread the 1st time but started to read everyday the forums at tomshardware and some people there love what they do and all they love is building PC. Every single one of them points at i5-3570K for gaming they say i7 technology and hyperthreading or whatever is called is not used by games at all, actually it slows gaming in same cases. About GTX670 they say all you gain from a GTX680 is 1-3 fps max and also the gigabyte gtx 670 I got they say when you OC its better then gtx 680 stock so it will have more fps then a stock gtx680. I am not planing on doing anything else but gaming on this rig besides gaming will be mumble/fraps/internet browsing will keep my old rig for downloads and other pear2pear without fear since it wont be my main rig :)

This post has been edited by Kenshin Himura: 27 February 2013 - 09:24 PM